Rotary marking-stamp



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. V. B. ETHRIDGE & 1-1. B. WAITE. ROTARY MARKING STAMP.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3. M. V. B. ETHRIDGE & H. E. WAITE.

ROTARY MARKING STAMP.

L 4 is,s is;is( 2s 5525;;, g m 3 E W@@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE, OF EVE ETT, AND HENRY E. lrlAITE, OF NEW'TON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY MARK! N'G-STAM P.

srnomcnrron forming part of Letters PatentNo. 469,632, dated February 23, 1892.

Application filed January 4,1892. Serial No- 4l7,003 (No model.)

.To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that we, MARTIN V. B. ETH- RIDGE, of Everett, and HENRY E. WAITE, of

Newton, in the county of Middlesex and Stateto a simple hand-operated machine for accurately postmarking and canceling the stamps of letters and other pieces of mail-matter in fourth-class post-oflices, where the business otv the oflice does not warrant the employment of the more expensive rapidly-operating and complicated machines such as are now in use in some of the larger oflices.

The invention consists in the several improvements which we will now proceed to describeand claim.

f the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification,Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a machine embodying our improvementa'a portion of the machine being shown in section. Fig 2 representsatop plan view. Fig. 3 represents, an elevation from the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 4. and 5 represent end elevations showing the canceling and marking wheel in different positions. Fig. G'represents a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 represents a .perspective view of one of ,the parts of the machine. Fig. 8 represents a side view of a modification.

' indicate the same parts man the figures.

'Inthe drawings, it represents a support or The support a is preferably a casting hori zontally arranged and :having recesses orpockets in its.upper surface to receive the o pad a and impression-bed a, as clearly-shown The same letters and figures of reference through a longitudinal 'slot e formed imthe wheel is affixed a gear h, which meshes with suitable elastic material, such as vulcanized rubber. The pad 0.! and bed a are arranged in line with each other, so that the wheel b 5 5 in I moving lengthwise of the table a in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1

will pass first over the pad a'and receive ink therefrom and will then pass over or upon a piece of mail-matter resting upon the bed a". 6b

The marking-wheel b is'aflixed to a shaft c, which is journaled in bearings in ears formed on a carrier (l, whichis adapted to be moved over .,,the' support a lengthwise of the latter. Said wheel has on its periphery-a series-mt marking-ribs 8 8, adapted to form" parallelcancellation-marks on theupper face of a. letter and the postage-stamp thereon. The periphery of the wheel is provided at or near one end of the series of ribs with a die having the types or printing characters which print the name, date, 850., at one end'of "the parallel cancellation-marks, the wheel ormarking. device being preferably constructed to make the impression nowstamped on mail-matter by machinery. 1 f The carrier cl is fitted to slide in a guide or way formed in a swinging arm or guide-bar e, which is pivoted at f to ears formed on one end of the support a. The carrier is'prefer- 8o ably engaged with the bar e by means of a rib d, .fo rn1ed on the carrier, and guides e, formed on the guide e. (See Fig.6.) The carrier has a web or shank (2 which passes guide c, said slot being of suchlength as to permit thecarrier to move nearly the entire length of the guide e, as shown in-Fig. 2. A

handle d is attached to said shank for the convenience of the operator, andthe shank go is preferably provided with anti-frictionrollers d, wh ch run on the upper surface of the guide. 4

g represents a rack aflixed to one side of the guide e. To the shaft 0 of the marking.- 9 5 the rack-g. It will be seen that when the carrier d is moved along the guide 2 the 'rack' g and gear It will cause the. marking-wheel to rotate in a direction corresponding to the-divice whereby the marking-wheel is raised,

when it is being returned to its starting position after it has marked a letter on the bed a so that the marking-wheel will not touch the letter on its return movement. Said device is here shown as a bar k, which is provided with ears 157. which are pivotally con-g nected by a bolt m with fixed ears 0 on the support a. The inner edge of the bar k is provided with a beveled face k, Fig. 2, at the end of the bar which is nearest the pivot {of the guide e. "The top surface of the bar is provided-at the end opposite the beveled face k with an incline k", which is adapted to raise the marking-wheel during its backward movement, as hereinafter described. The bar k is normally held in the position shown in Fig. by. means of .a spring 7. When the carrier d is at the extreme of its inward or backward movement, it is entirely separated from the bar k. When the carrier is moved outwardly from the position shown in dotted lines in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, one end of the marking-wheel shaft 0 strikes the vbeveled .face It and forces the bar In outwardly from its normal position, as shown in Fig. 4, until the carrier and marking-wheel have passed beyond the outer end of said bar, whereupon the spring preturns the bar to the position shown in Fig. 5, the bar beingthus located in such position thatwhen the carrier moves backwardly the marking-wheel shaft 0 strikes the lower portion of the incline k and is raised by the latter to the upper surface of the bar 70, as

shown in Fig. 5, the shaftc rolling along said upper. surface until it reaches the inner end of the bar It. When the shaft 0 drops from the bar k, the marking-wheel fallsupon the inking-pad a, and is prevented from striking an injurious blow on said pad by a spring 8, connecting the outer end of the guide e'with afixed arm t. Hence the markingcharactersof the wheel cannot be injured or worn by the dropping vof the wheel or marking device.

it represents an inclined flange affixed to the support ct, said flange having a raised inclined-portion a, arranged to raise the shaft 0 when the latter in moving forward is passing the incline It, said flange raising the shaft in time to permit the bark to move inwardly under the shaft and support the latter during its backward movement.

a,- repre'sents a table affixed to the support .a and extending in asubstantially horizontal direction at right angles with the direction of movement'of the marking-wheel and its carrier, the upper surface of said table being flush with the upper surface of the impression-bed a. The table a is of suitable length to contain an accumulation of letters or other pieces ofmail-matter and is provided at one edge with av v'erticalguide or flange a", which guides the letters moved along said table to the proper position over the impression-bed, the letters being arrested when they have been-moved far enough onto the impressionbed by a shoulder a, Figs. Land 5, formed on the support a.

The operation oft-he machine isasfollows: The operator, grasping the handle d with one hand, moves it back and forth along the guide e, thus causing the positive rotation of the marking-wheel in the manner already described. When the wheel is at the inner end of its movement, the operator moves a letter toposition on the impression-bed, said position being determinedby the guide a and shoulder a The, operator then moves the marking-wheel and its carrier outwardly, the marking-surfaces of the. wheel being first inked by their rolling contact with the inking-pad and then brought to bear upon the letter, to which they transfer the ink sufliciently to make the desired impression in the proper relative position on the letter, the marking-wheel being timed so that it will always commence its marking action ata given point on the letter. The bar It is displaced by the marking-wheel shaft during the out ward movement of the marking-wheel, as already stated. When the marking-wheel has performed its function and its shaft has passed outwardly far enough to release the bark, the letter is forced inwardly by its spring, the marking-wheel being raised at the same time by the flange u, so that when the marking-wheel is returned to its starting position it is raised out of contact with the letter. Hence there is no possibility of defaceinent'of the letter by the markin'g-wheel during its return movement.

We'do not limit ourselves to the devices and details of construction here shown, nor to the conjoint use of all the described features of the machine or their equivalents; For example, the devices for automatically raising the marking device during its backward movement may be variously modified or may be omitted, leaving the operator to raise the marking device by raising the guide e while .moving the marking device backward.

Instead of rotating the marking device by the rack and gears, the same result may be accomplished by means of a flexible cord s attached at its ends to supports on the guide e and passed around the periphery of a pulley s, aflixed to the shaft of the markingwheel, asshowu in Fig. 8. In fact, the mark ing device may be rotated by frictional contact with the surfaces on which it bears; but

I do' not'recommend this, as the positive con- :30

trol overthe markingdevice, which is very desirable, would in'such case be wanting.

The carrier maybe moved in one direction by a treadle t and in the opposite direction by a spring 11., as shown in Fig. 8.

We claim I 1. A table or support having an inking-pad and an impression-bed, combined with a guide pivoted at one end to a fixed support and adapted to swing vertically, and a carrier having a rotary marking device movable on said guide, the carrier being adapted to move the marking device successively over the inkingpad and the impression-bed and to raise and lower said device, as set forth.

2. A support or table having an inking-pad and an impression-bed,combined with a guide pivoted at one end to a fixed support and adapted. to swing vertically, a carrier having a rotary marking device movable on said guide, and means for rotating said marking device when it is being moved along theguide, as set forth.

3. A support or table having an inking-pad and an impression-bed,combined with a guide, a carrier havinga rotary marking device movable on said guide, a rack affixed to said guide, and a gear on the shaft of the marking device engaged with said rack, whereby rotary motion is imparted to themarking device, as set forth.

4. A support or table having an inking-pad and an impression-bed, combined with a vertically-movable guide, and a carrier movable lengthwise of the guide and adapted by the movability of the guide to approach and recede from the pad and bed, and a marking device supported by said carrier, as set forth.

5. A support or table having an inking-pad and an impression-bed, combined with a pivoted guide adapted to swing vertically,a carrier movable both horizontally and vertically, a rotary marking device on said carrier, and means for automatically raising said carrier and marking device during their backward movement, substantially as and for the purpose Specified.

6. As'upport or tablehaving an inking-pad and an impression-bed, combined with a guide, a carrier having a rotary marking device movable on said guide, means for rotating the printing device-and a laterally-yielding bar having at one end a beveled side face and at its opposite end an incline, said bar being arranged to be displaced by the marking device during the forward movement of the latter and to raise the marking device during its backward movement, as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence ct two subscribing witnesses, this 30th day of December, A. D. 1891.

MARTIN V. B. ETHRIDGE. HENRY E. VAITE.

Witnesses:

O. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON. 

